Tips for a Great Report Card Design

Report card time? Don’t let the stress of producing an enlightening but professional report on your students’ progress overshadow the importance of being tactful and graceful in your writing. Keep in mind some parents may require more explanation than others, especially when it comes to any drastic drop in grades. Continue reading to learn some tips on how to design the perfect report card.

Consider What You Want to Covey

First, consider the content you want to convey. Depending on the subject(s) you are focused on, create a scenario based on the core principles or the skill sets. With math, science, and English courses, you will need to use the grading scale while foreign language and computer coding need to emphasis the skill set of the student. You may also need to implement the vision and values of the school that the district leadership has put in place.

Decide How You Want to Relay Your Feedback

Next, decide how you want, or have to, relay these messages. Check with your school policy if there are specific methods such as traditional letter grades, a percentage system, or if a narrative communication is warranted. It is common to see a variety of techniques used as not all subjects carry the same academic status in some school settings.

Use Your School’s Signature Style

Your signature style is not based on you as a person but as a representative of your school system. The report card itself will convey the school’s style with the designed layout, identification, and mission statement. All of these characteristics exemplify the branding of the school and its staff members to students and parents.

Use an Easy-to-Read, Clearly Visible Grade Scale

As we have said, the report card should clearly state the message it needs to convey without confusing or belittling parents and students. The district or school may require a particular grade scale to be used. It is important you ensure the information relayed is concise and, in some cases, explained in detail.  

Add Unique Teacher Comments

Once you have finished with the grading scale, take time to make comments on the grade, behaviour, progress, or decline of a student. The teacher report card comment collection is crucial to everyone involved, especially for the student. Tactful comments will help the parents and student understand the learning process to ensure a stable learning environment in future education.

Get Help Writing Report Card Comments

Teachers need all the help they can get and that’s why TIMESAVERS for TEACHERS offers a wide variety of resources. Featuring over 1,800 commonly used report card remarks, our Report Card Comments Collection is one of our top-selling products. We also offer these other great resources that can make report card writing a lot easier for teachers of all grade levels: The Teacher’s Binder, Substitute Teacher Instruction Kit, and Classroom Awards. Contact us today to learn more.